Author: Brennen Kelly

Hailing from the Chicagoland area, Brennen graduated from Valparaiso University with a BA in Communication and a minor in Cinema and Media Studies. After covering Arts & Entertainment at his university's newspaper, he began writing for Country Chord in March of 2023. Known for his love of independent country and authentic songwriters, Brennen has a long-history of championing the likes of Zach Bryan, Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers and many others.

Celebrating the women in his life. Today, Sam Hunt is officially back with another new single. Instead of touching on small-town breakups and lost love, Hunt pens a heartfelt track reminiscing about the lessons learned from the women closest to him. Women In My Life comes in a string of singles released from Hunt lately, with Walmart and Outskirts also being released over the past few months. Co-written by Hunt and long-time collaborator, Josh Osborne, the track serves as an ode to all the women who have impacted him throughout his life. He packs the song with small details, such…

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Rock-solid as always. Justin Moore’s seventh studio album, Stray Dog, is finally here. Back in February, Moore announced the project, citing it as his most personal and authentic album to date. He announced the titular track and the album, while also giving a bit of back story on the project as a whole. Stray Dog is definitely Moore at his most personal. In the album’s announcement, he had this to say in the Instagram caption: I’ve never just gone along with the crowd. I’ve always tried to follow my heart and let the chips fall where they may, and I’m…

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Everything she touches turns to gold (or green) lately. Country music’s it-girl, Megan Moroney, has taken the world by storm over the last few months. From scoring hits like the platinum single, Tennesee Orange, to recently opening for the legendary Brooks & Dunn, Moroney is undoubtedly on a hot streak. Today, she released her highly-anticipated debut album, Lucky, Lucky includes the aforementioned Tennessee Orange, as well as pre-released tracks such as I’m Not Pretty, Lucky and Girl in The Mirror. TikTok-teased tracks, Traitor Joe and Mustang or Me, also appear on the 13-track album. As stated in the hand-written note…

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Do the Turnpike Troubadours really need an introduction? Everyone’s favorite red dirt band is back after a lengthy six-year hiatus. Earlier this week, the group announced their brand new album, A Cat in the Rain, slated for an August 25th release. In the meantime, they released Mean Old Sun, along with an accompanying music video, directed by filmmaker, Sterlin Harjo. The role out of the track was quite a clunky one, first being leaked via TouchTunes on April 15th. At the time, no one knew why or how it was available on the platform. However, the band quickly formally announced…

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It was well worth the wait. After being delayed two months, Nate Smith officially released his self-titled debut album, along with a deluxe version that features six extra songs. The final product is a 26-track record chalked full of new songs and established hits, including the certified gold, Whiskey On You and Wreckage. Smith cited the switch from a February release to an April one due to a variety of reasons, including performing at Stagecoach and being on tour with Thomas Rhett and Cole Swindell. In the meantime, Smith released Better Boy and Oil Spot in anticipation of the album’s…

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Simply one of the most underrated artists around. Three years after the release of Wild World, Kip Moore is back with his fifth studio album, Damn Love. The singer/songwriter, known for his belting vocals and introspective lyrics, has continually put out some of the most consistent and interesting music in country, since his debut album, Up All Night, in 2012. 11 years and four albums later, Moore proves he’s just getting better with age. Damn Love was first announced by Moore with the release of the titular track on February 23rd. On first listen, it appeared that he was leaning…

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